


YOUTH

by pizzasavestheday



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: A little angst, But mostly fluff, Eventual Smut, F/M, High School AU, M/M, Malec, Multi, Sizzy - Freeform, clace
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-24
Updated: 2017-07-04
Packaged: 2018-06-04 06:52:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6646345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pizzasavestheday/pseuds/pizzasavestheday
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a world where demon overlords aren't everyday problems, Simon, Izzy, Clary, Jace, Alec, and Magnus' biggest worries are far inferior. Simon is spending more and more time with Isabelle, a star student with a flair for the dramatic. Clary has agreed to help Jace with his college application although she can't stand him. Alec is failing math and it seems his only hope is the popular upperclassman, Magnus. Now, navigating through high school and their feelings could prove to be as challenging as hunting demons.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. fireproof

**Author's Note:**

> basically a hs au featuring all the canon couples :) i hope you enjoy! my tumblr is reyofjaku if you want to find it there

Simon glanced up and down the hallway, waiting anxiously while propping the door open when he saw a girl coming from his left side. There'd be an obvious discrepancy, considering he was mostly blocking it, his arm stretched in front of him, holding the door.

When she reached him she simply ducked under his arm and entered the room, causing him to take a second look as her curtain of hair followed her swift movement over the threshold.

Clary finally ran towards him and thanked him for holding the door. They both entered the room and Simon did his best to keep his eyes off of the girl he'd seen a moment ago.

The class was unusually dark because the teacher hadn't showed and no one bothered to turn on the lights. This happened fairly often, and the students would simply draw on the seats in front of them or play with the props. Drama students weren't very productive.

Clary liked her job as a set designer but Simon had been pushed out of his comfort zone, playing a lead. They were performing a twilight-esque vampire romance in which they needed more people. Some people were doubling up while others took roles they weren't comfortable with, like Simon. He wondered why Clary hadn’t had to take a role- he wasn’t planning on asking- but he just assumed she’d made an excuse about working on the yearbook as usual.

When they door opened again the bright light outside blinded them and a hiss came from somewhere in the room. Two boys entered, the taller one requesting Isabelle come with him. Simon's eyes searched the room, leading him to believe the two boys were Isabelle's brothers, and Isabelle was the beautiful girl who had strode in previously. She complied and left. When she was gone, Simon turned to Clary and inquired why he'd never seen her before.

"Oh, she took Camille's part, she's playing the female lead."

Simon vaguely remembered that Camille was out of town, and therefore couldn't assume her usual role, the lead. They'd held auditions for someone else to play the lead, since none of the girls in drama were up to it.

Evidently, Isabelle has taken the lead. Clary went on to explain she was doing it for extra credit, due to her lack of extra curriculars. Simon simply continued to stare at the door from which she’d disappeared.

* * *

 

Clary shielded her eyes as she walked to the side of the field. The lacrosse players were gathered in one corner, warming up before practice. Admittedly, she only needed to be at games, but she enjoyed going to practices just as much. Her teacher had told her many times that she didn’t need pictures of practices because they would never make it in the yearbook, but she was satisfied that a few had made her own personal collection.

She took the lense cap off and held the camera up, looking at the field from this new point of view. As the players got into position to play, she zoomed in on someone that was facing her, confident that it’d make a good shot. Just as she snapped the picture, someone stepped in the way. She cursed under her breath and looked up to confirm that it was Jace Lightwood. She looked back at the camera to discover that it hadn’t been a picture of Jace, but his ass.

She giggled to herself a bit, not able to avoid laughing at the fact that she had a picture of a butt in her camera. Upon further inspection, she noticed that she rather liked it, and cancelled the action to delete.

When she looked but up, Jace smiled at her quickly as he ran by, and she smiled as she watched him run away, looking more adorable than she had previously noticed he did.

* * *

 

Alec sat in the office waiting for his tutor to show up. He hated to admit that he needed help, but he couldn’t keep his position on the lacrosse team if he didn’t bring his grades up. His guidance counselor had promised to set him up with a tutor, but he doubted their were any upperclassmen who would jump at the opportunity. He turned to look as he heard her heels clacking on the ground near him. With her, she had a senior that Alec had seen a few times before; Magnus Bane. He was at the top of his class and everyone knew that he had received a full scholarship, especially since they announced it on the news.

Alec smiled awkwardly and stood, towering over his tutor. 

“Shall we go?” Magnus invited. His voice was softer than Alec had expected, and smooth like someone writing in calligraphy, the pen gliding across paper.

“Sure.” Alec got out, before he had to cough because that was the only thing that could make this exchange more awkward.

The guidance counselor bid them goodbye, “I have a good feeling about this, boys!” She screeched in her scratchy, bird-like voice. Alec only nodded and followed Magnus down the hallway.

“What is it you’re having trouble with?” Magnus asked from in front of Alec. The taller boy awkwardly caught up to him and matched his pace, noticing his designer shoes in the process.

“Uh- pre-calc.” He declared, his deep voice causing Magnus to look over curiously, watching the way Alec ended every sentence, swallowing and looking grimly off into the distance. He found it charming.

“I took that sophomore year but I’ve brushed up in preparation for our meeting.” Alec could only nod, trying not to disclose how fascinated he was with the way Magnus talked, like he was reading straight from a best-selling novel.

When they finally reached the math room, Alec took a seat next to Magnus and reluctantly opened his textbook to the pages containing his homework assignments (correction:  _ late  _ homework assignments). 

He did his best to focus on the work but was getting easily distracted by how Magnus ran his fingers along the page and watched carefully as Alec did his work.

Alec wasn’t sure if this was going to help him at all.

* * *

 

Simon slipped into the drama room again after school, wanting to rehearse his part. It was hard without someone working opposite him, but the silence helped him concentrate.

He dropped his bag and approached the stage, script in hand.

“ You will think me cruel, very selfish, but love is always selfish; the more ardent the more selfish.” He recited. The language of the play made it that much harder to remember anything from it. From a speaker to his left, he heard a voice say, “That was beautiful.”

He looked around in terror before spotting Isabelle speaking into a microphone.

“Carmilla has always been one of my favorite books. I like how love is her destruction, and that falling in love was falling into a trap.”

“Sounds scary.” Simon noted.

“Sounds exhilarating. When I heard they were making it a play I knew I had to be a part of it. Sure, they’re making it as heteronormative as possible, but still worth watching.” Isabelle stalked over to Simon and had a seat on the bench behind him.

“Heter- what?”

“Your character? It was originally a woman. But the school doesn’t want to show anything so sapphic on stage.”

“In that case, I’ll play it up as feminine as possible.” Simon joked. He figured it must have been funny because it earned a chuckle from Isabelle. She stood and retrieved her script from her bag.

“Want to run lines? I’m playing Laura.” It clicked in Simon’s mind that Laura was his love interest.   
“Sure!” He replied enthusiastically. “That would really help me out.”

Isabelle looked down at the script she was given and chose one of her scene with Simon, “I should be afraid, if I suspect to be attacked like those other poor girls.”

Simon flipped to the page he believed she was on and started to speak as dramatically as possible.

“Are you afraid to die?”

“Yes, everyone is.” Isabelle replied effortlessly. Simon saw a monologue approaching, and did his best to look between the paper and Izzy.

“But death can be beautiful, if we are to die as lovers. To die together is to live together, and to live together is to be among others who cannot understand the beauty in death.”

Simon looked to her as he finished and saw her smile, not like Laura’s character.

“What?” He inquired with a smile.

“You make an excellent Carmilla.”

* * *

 

Jace ran up to Clary after practice, taking her by surprise. She shut her camera off instinctively and waited for him to speak.

“Could I get a look at those photos you took? I’m not sure if there’s any of me but if there is I’d like to use them when I apply.” He stated.

“Apply?” Was all she could get out. She had more pictures of him than she’d like to admit. 

“For college. It’s to make my application look better.” She nodded like she understood.

“Sure. Just stop by yearbook club one day and I’ll let you have a look.” She walked away and hit the power button on her camera again. She looked at the photo she’d accidently taken once more before deleting it, acknowledging that admiring a picture of Jace’s butt was probably some sort of violation of privacy. Still, at least she’d see him again.

Clary met Simon by her car after she’d been waiting there a while.

“Finally! What took you so long?” She demanded.

“Nothing. I was just running over lines.” Simon said, flustered and making his way into the passenger’s seat.

“That doesn’t sound like nothing. Don’t you usually run lines at home?” Clary was obviously trying to draw information out of him.

“I was running lines with someone. Isabelle, actually.” Simon seemed like he was confirming it more to himself than Clary.   
“Sounds steamy.” Clary said mischievously. “What happened?”

“Nothing, really.” He sounded disappointed. “She kind of ambushed me into practicing with her.”

Clary giggled. “Sounds like she likes you.”

“Really, Clary? You think Isabelle Lightwood has a crush on me?” He said in disbelief.

“Do you like her?” Simon shrugged. He was grateful he could talk about stuff like this with Clary. They’d always been best friends, but he had been nervous that they might not be after what happened sophomore year.

They were both really nervous about starting another year of high school as virgins, so they decided to get over the awkwardness by having their first time be with each other. They both came out of it more experienced, and as close as ever. He knew not everyone would be able to do that, which is why he was grateful that he had Clary.

“What about you? You went to another lacrosse practice.” Simon moved the conversation along.

“I had to do something while I waited for your dumb ass!” Clary joked. “Actually, I talked to Jace.”

“Jace Lightwood? Ugh, I hate that guy!” Clary looked away from him as she made a right turn and continued.

“He seemed nice. He wanted some pictures of himself.”

“Somehow that doesn’t surprise me.” Clary punched him in the arm and pulled in front of his house.

“Get out, nerd. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Simon hugged her quickly and got out. Clary waited until he was inside to drive away.

When she got home she said hello to her mom and Luke, quickly heading for her bedroom so she could plug in her camera and look at the photos.

She had gotten a few a Jace, so she made a folder for them on her desktop and shut her laptop, but not before looking through them all another time.

* * *

 

It was towards the end of their session, and Alec confirmed once more for Magnus that he understood what they’d gone over.

“I just can’t believe I missed lacrosse for this.” Alec complained under his breath. Magnus turned to him, intrigued. 

“Lacrosse?”   
“Yeah, I have to miss a few practices a week now.” Magnus nodded in reverence and extended an offer.

“Well, instead of doing this, why don’t you just come to my place after practice? That way you won’t have to miss out.” 

“Really?” This earned a half smile from Alec. “That’d be great.”

Magnus nodded and picked up the textbook, returning it to it’s place on the shelf. Not facing Alec, he brought up something he thought would improve the situation.

“I find it unfair that you’re stuck in a student-teacher situation with one of your peers.” Alec acknowledged that he sounded nothing like his peers when he said that and tried not to look disappointed that he thought of them as a student and teacher.

“Perhaps I could see you in your domain? One of those lacrosse games you told me about.” Magnus turned around, carefully hiding the anxiety he was feeling while saying this. Alec only thought for a second before responding.

“Uh- yeah. Why don’t you come by at the end of practice? I’ll show you a few things.” Alec said as innocently as possible. “How about tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow sounds lovely. I can drive you to my house afterwards.” Alec only nodded, resenting the fact that he couldn’t yet drive. Forgetting to say goodbye, he picked up his bag and left, knowing Isabelle had left without him before. Magnus could only watch as he left the room, reluctant to move from his place leaning against the bookshelf.

* * *

 

Simon had gotten to school as usual; Clary picked him up, they got a coffee, and he sat in homeroom until first period. Today, the teacher declared that his counselor needed him in the office. Now he was sitting there, foot tapping, waiting for someone to tell him why he was missing class.

The guidance counselor finally invited him in and instructed him to sit down in front of her.

“Unfortunately, Simon, we’ve had to disband your first period class due to lack of interest. Another student just dropped out so we can’t afford to have the class anymore.” 

“Oh.” Simon silently wondered who it was, but he couldn’t blame them for opting out of an unofficial zombie survival class.

“You’ll need to pick a different extra curricular. We have a few available; culinary, creative writing, orchestra-”

“Yeah, that’s fine.” Simon interrupted. Maybe it was because it was so early, but Simon couldn’t stand another minute of her screeching. She quickly printed up a new schedule and sent him on his way.

He looked at a clock on his way to the orchestra room, noticing that he had only missed about fifteen minutes.

When he arrived, he struggled opening one of the double doors that stood in his way but finally forced his way in, realizing that he’d earned the attention of everyone in the room, including Isabelle, whose face lit up when she realized who’d entered. Simon smiled awkwardly, too excited that Izzy was happy to see him to care about the annoyed face the rest of the Orchestra was making.

The teacher walked over and he explained by holding up his schedule that he was in this class now.

“Good, we’re low on violas. Isabelle will show you a few things.” She turned to Izzy and explained that she wanted her to take Simon to one of the practice rooms to help.

Isabelle took Simon’s arm and led him away while he tried to monitor his breathing. When they had retrieved an instrument and practice book, they set up in an empty practice room. Izzy handed Simon the viola and adjusted his hold on it.

“Looks like we’re going to be working together a lot more.” Simon observed.

“Are you stalking me, Simon?” She asked playfully.

“What? No! I didn’t even know you were in this class, I just took it because-”

“Relax, I’m joking. Although I am disappointed to hear that I’m not the reason you’re taking it.”

“If it helps, I’m really glad you’re here.” Izzy smiled at this and moved his one of his fingers from its incorrect place.

“Me too. We really needed more violas.” Simon laughed and continued plucking the strings.

Once they sat there for about five minutes, Isabelle started to look bored.

“Do you really just want to sit here and play viola?” She questioned.

“No, but it doesn’t look like we have much choice.” Izzy stood up when he said that, looking surprised.

“Of course we do! If we leave Ms. Jones won’t even notice. I really don’t want to sit here for another hour.” Simon looked at her instead of the paper, debating what he should do. He had never cut class, but he imagined cutting class with Isabelle was too good to pass up. He smiled and responded, “Where do you want to go?”

* * *

 

Clary sat there bored, looking through the pictures on the cameras of everyone in yearbook. Most of them took selfies with their friends, which weren’t ideal to put in the yearbook. Clary and a few others had actually focused on taking yearbook-worthy photos, which were the ones she was looking for. 

The next time she looked up, Jace was standing in front of her, startling her.   
“Hey.” She tried to sound natural, but she was caught off guard. “What are you doing here?”

“To see those photos, it’s my free period.” He said with a tone as if she should’ve already known that. Jace came around the table to look over he shoulder at the screen. Clary minimized the thousands of selfies she had been looking at to find Jace’s photos. She quickly considered what her desktop looked like now that someone else could see it. The background was one of her mom’s paintings, and she figured art wasn’t an unusual background. She flicked her eyes up to see if Jace noticed she had a folder named after him, but he didn’t seem to care.

“Just favorite the photos you like.” She said, turning the computer so he could look through them. Jace was silent while he looked, making Clary a bit uncomfortable. While she waited she looked between him and the laptop, trying to see which photos he liked, but he just kept the same look of concentration on the whole time. With no warning Jace got out his cell phone and started looking at something.

“Well?” She half-yelled, offended that he hadn’t said a thing about the photos.

“Here.” He handed her his cell phone. “Put your email in.” 

She looked down and saw the anonymous profile picture smiling at her next to two empty boxes ready to be filled with  _ First Name Last Name  _ and  _ home email _ . Clary scoffed and looked up, not even touching the phone.

“You don’t know my name?” 

“No.” He said nonchalantly, wondering why she would’ve expected such a thing of him.

“Simon was right about you.” She muttered as she filled her information in.

“Simon?” Clary ignored that he didn’t know who that was.

“You are so self-absorbed!” 

“No, I’m not.” He didn’t sound like he was defending himself, only that he was stating a fact.

“If you’ll excuse me, I have actual work to do.” Clary stated. Jace rolled his eyes and left the room. A minute later, she heard a ping from her phone and saw an email from Jace.

 

**jonathan_lightwood@students.institute.org:**

_ Just send me all the photos. Thnx _

 

Clary rolled her eyes but went on her computer and sent them all anyway, but not without leaving a snarky caption. 

 

_ Here you go. These are the photos from CLARY….. Just in case u forgot _

* * *

 

Simon gave Isabelle careful directions to the cafe. It was his and Clary’s favorite, so when Izzy said they could go wherever he wanted all he could imagine was a breakfast sandwich from this place.

The two pulled in and made their way inside, taking a seat on one of the couches in front of the stage, which held only an abandoned microphone. The restaurant was mostly empty, holding just a few patrons at tables near windows.

“What’s good here?” Isabelle inquired.

“I get an egg sandwich and two blueberry scones every time.” He said without a second thought.

“A creature of habit.” Isabelle observed. “You come here often?”   
“Almost everyday.” He replied. “Clary drives me to and from school, so we stop and eat here all the time.”

“You and Clary seem very close.” She inquired. Simon saw that she clearly wasn’t only asking about their friendship, and took the opportunity to clarify.

“We’re just friends. I’ve lived next door to her since I was eight, so yeah, we’re close.”

“That must be nice. I spend most of my time with my brothers.” She remarked. Simon remembered her two brothers entering the drama room, looking very intimidating.

“What’s the stage for?” Izzy asked.

“Oh, they just always leave the mic there. It’s like open mic 24/7 around here. Anyone can go up there.”

“Really?” Izzy said, a huge grin taking over her face.

“Yeah.” Simon said, not realizing what she had meant. Without a second thought she plugged her phone into an aux cord by the speakers and let the intro to her favorite song play.

“You’re not going to sing, are you?” Simon asked, looking suddenly terrified. 

“No, I just wanted to show you this.” The two of them listened as a man’s voice took over the track, softly coming in and out and exposing an emotion that Simon could clearly hear.

“It’s beautiful.” Simon assured Isabelle. She blushed and waited for the song to end before retrieving her phone and returning to her seat.

“We will sing here one day, though.” Izzy assured Simon. He shook his head in disbelief but silently hoped she was right, because that would mean seeing her again.

* * *

 

Clary decided to sit on the bleachers during this practice to take photos. Something about Jace was really bothering her, and not just the fact that he didn't reply to her last email. She looked over the small crowd of lacrosse players until she spotted Jace. He had his back to her, facing the coach to hear whatever he was yelling at them.

She took a few photos in the meantime, getting a few team members but mostly ones of Jace (she noticed his hair looked particularly golden in the sun).

When he saw her on the bench he smiled and waved, as if they hadn't spoken at all this morning. She rolled her eyes and brought her camera to her face, following him around the field.

After practice her approached the bench, running his hands through his hair and steadily removing equipment.

“I saw you taking pictures.” He noted.

“I wasn’t hiding.” Clary powered her camera off and looked back up at Jace.

“I could use your help.” He said. Now Clary was confused. Her help? He had just been annoying her since they’d met and now he wanted help?

“What do you want?” She asked suspiciously.

“Shit, don’t sound so excited.” Jace said before answering. “I need you to take more pictures. My parents are really worried about my application ‘reflecting who I am,’ so I need as many as possible if I’m gonna make them happy.”

Clary only nodded. She had no idea what the dynamic between Jace and his parents was and she didn’t want to intrude. She knew, obviously, that he was adopted, but she didn’t know anymore than that.

“Sure. I’ve taken plenty of practice photos but I’ll be at the next game. I’ll let you see what I take.” Clary, satisfied with this, put her camera strap around her neck and grabbed her bag.

“Wait.” Jace grabbed her arm as she walked away. She looked between him and his hand hesitantly and he quickly let go, realizing he had overstepped. “There’s something else I need.”

Clary gave him permission to continue with a look and he responded, “I need headshots.”

“Like for an actor?” She was in disbelief. Here she thought he wanted a sports scholarship.

“No, like senior photos. I guess I need some professional ones.” Jace wasn’t hiding how much he dreaded needing professional photos but Clary agreed, giving him her number so they could set up a time.

Jace began to walk away but wasn’t far when he said, “Oh, and Clary?” She turned her attention to him, waiting for what he needed to say.

“I’d never forget your name.” Half-elated and half-mortified she grabbed her bag and ran to her car.

* * *

 

Alec sat on the bench, spinning his stick around in his hand while waiting for Magnus. His backpack sat at his feet and he had taken his equipment off but planned to bring his stick home. He almost didn’t realize it when Magnus appeared next to him. 

“Oh, hey, I didn’t see you walk up.” Alec said, standing.

“Sorry I startled you.” Magnus stated. “Is this what you use?” Magnus was referring to the lacrosse stick he was holding.

“Uh, yeah. We catch the ball in here and then throw it out.”

“Sounds simple enough.” Magnus commented as he took a seat on the bench. Alec scoffed and looked down at him.

“It’s not that simple.” He was trying to sound as lighthearted as possible but he could tell it wasn’t coming across that way.

“Why don’t you show me then?” Magnus requested. Alec thought about it for a moment before hesitantly walking out to the field, placing a ball in the pocket, and flinging it in the goal. Magnus walked behind him and watched as he made the shot.

“Your turn.” Alec handed the stick to Magnus. He awkwardly held it as Alec placed a ball in the pocket and swung the stick only for the ball to land no more than five feet away.

Alec stifled a laugh as he approached. “Um, okay. Try this.”

He placed a ball in the pocket as he had before, but this time adjusted Magnus’ hold on it, moving his fingers to the right position. He noticed Magnus staring at him and mumbled something about watching the stick. When Magnus prepared to swing again he wound up in an awkward position and Alec knew he was doomed to fail.

“No- here.” Alec placed himself behind Magnus and ran his hand along his arm, bringing it back to the correct position and pushing forward until the ball met the goal. Magnus and Alec both smiled, not realizing that they were still pressed against each other. When Alec looked up, he saw Izzy and quickly backed away.

“Hey Alec! And… Magnus.” She gave Alec a suspicious look and swung her keys around in her hand. “Just wondering if you need a ride home.” 

“I’ll be driving Alec home, actually. After tutoring, that is.” Magnus explained without a second thought.

“I see.” Izzy said smiling, meanwhile the smile from Alec’s face fell. He walked over to his bag, trying to conceal how red his face had gotten. He watched silently as Isabelle walked away.

“Anything wrong?” Magnus asked. Alec only shook his head no and walked away quickly in the direction of the student parking lot. Magnus tried to hide the anxiety on his face as he followed him.


	2. red lights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone's relationships are tested when Isabelle throws a birthday party over the weekend.

Drama rehearsal went about as well as it usually went. Simon got yelled at for still using the script but Isabelle working opposite him seemed to make it matter less (although he was pretty sure she was the reason he couldn’t remember his lines).   
“You are not so old, your first ball can hardly be forgotten yet.” Isabelle started, her hand grazing his arm and distracting him.  
“I can remember everything… with an effort. It’s hard, like something seen through water, rippling but still transparent. It feel as if I died that night, and nothing has been the same since.”  
“Surely you didn’t die?” Isabelle responded, her lines perfectly timed. Simon was distracted by the earnestness of her face, although he was sure she was only acting. Nonetheless he was impressed, and did his best to deliver the next line.   
“I was killed by a cruel and strange love. Love will have its sacrifices.” Simon watched as Izzy’s expression turned from one of anxiety to joy, only after realizing the director had instructed them to stop.  
He picked up his bag and was about to leave when Izzy appeared in front of him, her hand meeting his chest and pushing him back.  
“Where do you think you’re going?” She asked playfully.  
“Nowhere.” He stated with an unmistakable grin.  
“Good. I have something to ask you.” Simon panicked a bit when she said that. Isabelle asking him anything caused him a great deal of anxiety, but with this seriousness in her tone he became quickly overwhelmed.  
“Yeah?”   
“I’m having my birthday party tomorrow night. Are you coming?” Isabelle smiled wide, encouraging Simon to say yes, and he wished more than anything that he could.  
“Isabelle, I’m so sorry! My moms are having a family dinner tomorrow night and I can’t miss it. I wish that I could.” Isabelle acknowledged the sincerity in his voice and nodded.  
“I understand. It won’t be that fun without you though.”  
“I doubt that.” Simon chuckled and started to leave, not before turning around and assuring her, “I’m really sorry.”   
She nodded and grimly smiled, not able to hide her disappointment. When he left she sighed and looked down, dreading spending her entire weekend without Simon.  
…  
Clary returned to the drama room a few minutes after practice had ended, having left to retrieve her tripod from her locker. She got it set up and took some shots of the empty set, satisfied that it would serve its purpose.  
A few minutes later Jace entered, his hair messy and free of its usual gel prison. Clary couldn’t help but smile at how cute it looked undone.  
“What?” He inquired, and she realized she had been staring at him. She quickly cleared her throat and assured him, “Nothing.” Then walked over.  
“Do you want your hair like this for the picture?” She didn’t mean to sound rude but she really needed to know.  
“No, I had it done but I had to get out of my lacrosse equipment and run here.” She nodded in understanding and gestured to his hair. “May I?”  
He nodded and she started to fix it, pushing it this way and that. Their faces were way closer than they ever had been, and awkward eye contact was followed by forced smiles and eyes being cast down.  
“There you go.” She declared. His hair was fixed but didn’t look quite as good as it did usually.  
“We could always… take more if these don’t turn out.” She was nervous to say it because she wasn’t really sure how much time Jace wanted to spend with her. They had hung out every time he needed something related to pictures, so she was sure she wouldn’t see any more of him once the applications were sent in.  
"Good! So, um... just sit on that stool right there and we'll get started." Jace sat down awkwardly and looked up at the camera. Clary looked at Jace through the camera lens and couldn't help but giggle at the position he'd chosen. His elbow was resting on his knee and his chin was rested on his hand like a sculpture.  
"No, Jace, try it sitting up straight." He nodded and straightened his posture, smiling wide.  
"Here, let me show you." She moved across the room to stand next to him, lightly lifting the corners of her mouth into a state-ID-photo smile. It was just subtle enough to still pass for professional. Jace nodded like he understood and looked forward with a smirk, confident he'd gotten it right. Clary's lip tightened as she looked for the right words but before she could say anything Jace rolled his eyes and spoke.  
"I don't know what you want from me."  
"I know, I'm sorry." Clary stayed silent for a moment while she thought. "Why don't you get behind the camera?"  
Jace looked up from the floor and quirked an eyebrow. "That doesn't sound half bad."  
He walked up to camera and examined the buttons for a moment, analyzing how he'd work it. Then he looked at Clary through the lens and smiled. "Ready?"  
Clary nodded and continued smiling the way she'd shown Jace. He snapped a few pictures and she laughed. "Okay, you don't need to take pictures."  
"Come on! If I'm going to be behind the camera I want to get the full effect!" Jace took a few more picture as Clary was laughing and as she got closer to him. He pulled away from the camera and grabbed Clary from behind as she tried to get to it, spinning her around in a fit of laughter.   
"Okay, put me down!" She demanded, still laughing. He obliged and walked back over to his stool, now with a perfected state-ID-smile.  
When it was time to leave she had packed up her things and was almost out the door when Jace's voice interrupted, "You're going to Izzy's party, right?"  
To be honest she hadn't even heard about it, but she knew they're circles were different. With as much indifference as she could muster she responded, "I hadn't planned on it."  
"Well you should come. After all, I'll be there." With that Jace exited, somehow before Clary, who'd been at the door. She sighed and silently hoped that at least Simon would be there.

 

…  
Alec ran onto the field, scanning the crowd quickly to see who had come. No one really came consistently but Izzy said she might show up. His eyes finally landed on her but he soon realized she wasn’t alone. Magnus was sitting next to her, much to his surprise. His attention was turned away from them when he heard his coach screaming something. He shook it off and headed off towards the rest of his team.   
Alec didn’t mean to keep looking over at his sister and tutor, it was just… happening. Before every shot or play, he quickly glanced over to see if they were still there. At the end, Jace shot a winning goal and he heard everyone burst into cheers. He flashed Magnus a smile when he saw him clapping along with the rest. After the final huddle, he walked over to say hi.  
“Wonderful game, Alexander.” Magnus said in a sort of bow. Alec wanted to laugh but just smiled and thanked him.  
“I’m so proud of you, big brother.” Alec recalled that as soon as she could talk she called him that and as annoying as it was he knew she liked it.   
“Thanks, Izzy.” A look of confusion crossed his face when he saw her suddenly frown, looking behind him. One of the team members was air humping him, and another near him was jamming his two index fingers together. When they saw Alec they quickly stopped, laughed, and ran away. Alec turned back around still confused, seeing Magnus look solemn and Isabelle angry.  
“Don’t worry about them, Alec.” She assured him. Still not really sure what she was talking about, he just nodded. “Anyway, who’s ready for my party tomorrow night?!”   
“I didn’t realize I was invited.” Magnus said playfully.  
“Are you kidding? It wouldn’t be a party without you!” She hit him in the arm and turned to Alec. “You both better have your game face on.”  
Alec only laughed and headed back to the locker room.  
…  
Simon walked through the door and tried to take in everything he saw at once. Isabelle’s enormous house was filled. There were teenagers lounging on every surface he saw with either a drink or a blunt in their hands. He had no idea how her parents had allowed this.   
His moms hadn’t been very happy with him, but ultimately accepted that going to the party was important to him. He awkwardly fumbled with the small gift box in his hand and put it in his back pocket. He looked for someone he knew but drew a blank, so he decided to travel deeper into the house. Finally he saw Jace and asked him.  
“I think she’s upstairs still getting ready.” He responded over the loud music. Simon could barely hear him but nodded, silently wondering why Isabelle was still getting ready. He made his way over to the staircase and wandered around until he saw Isabelle in the bathroom curling her hair.  
“Hey.” He said, startling her.  
“Simon, you came!” She exclaimed, throwing down the curler and bring Simon in for a hug. “I’m so glad you’re here.”  
Simon couldn’t help the wide smile that took over his face but tried to compose himself, retrieving the box from his back pocket. “I got you something.”  
Isabelle excitedly opened it and picked up the present inside. It was a black bracelet, all around decorated with intricate designs. The designed seemed to be sparkling even though the bracelet was made of leather.  
“Oh my gosh, Simon…” She stammered in awe. He put the bracelet on her wrist as he explained.  
“I read the book like you said. I figured since we’re doing the play together I could get you this. I had to translate a few of the words but this is pretty much how the book said it would look.”  
Isabelle smiled, remembering the scene in the book where they bought the bracelet to ward off evil and diseases. Only Simon could pick something out for her that was so niche.  
“It’s perfect, thank you.” Isabelle brought him in for another hug. He smiled into it and let himself melt into the hug, his arms encircling her waist.  
“Well come on, we should get to the party.” Izzy declared. Simon nodded and followed her down the stairs, wondering how she didn’t fall in those giant heels.  
…  
Clary watched the dark brown liquid in her cup swirl around as she sat in silence. Somehow she’d managed to find a spot on the couch. On one side of her some kid was holding a bong and on the other side a couple was making out. She turned to scan the room and coughed as the kid blew smoke in her face.  
“Oh, sorry.” She nodded and waved her hand in front of her dramatically. “You want a hit?”  
Clary looked suspiciously between the boy and the pipe before nodding and placing her lips on the tube. She did her best to contain her coughing afterward, not wanting anyone to notice how new to this she was.  
She was grateful when she saw Jace come around the corner, a drink in his hand. She quickly crossed the room and stood next to him.  
“Hey! I couldn’t find you.” She yelled over the music.  
“Sorry. Busy.” Was all he responded. She would’ve made a comment about how rude that was if she had the lung power. “Want to go upstairs?”   
She nodded and followed him up, smiling at Simon and Isabelle as they passed each other. He ran into his room quickly and emerged with a joint between his fingers. Next they entered what looked like their parents room and opened the sliding door to the balcony overlooking the pool.  
“Not having fun at the party?” She inquired. She figured he must have been bored out of his mind to invite her to anything.  
“It’s okay. I’d rather hang out with you though.” He lit the joint he had and took a hit, avoiding eye contact with Clary.  
“Oh.” She said. She accepted the joint from him and breathed in, remembering not to hold it in her mouth. She breathed out consciously, making sure she didn’t seem irritated at all. “I’m surprised you wanted me to come.”  
“What? Why?” Jace questioned.  
“Because the only time we’ve hung out is when we’re taking pictures.” She clarified. He nodded and took a minute to absorb the comment. He then got out his phone and pointed the camera towards her. She smiled sarcastically and he snapped the picture, triumphantly placing the phone back in his pocket.   
“There.” He smirked and she rolled her eyes. “There are lots of people who want to take pictures of me. It’s just more fun when you’re taking them.”  
She smiled at the half compliment and accepted the joint he passed back to her. “If you say so.”  
…  
Alec finally emerged from his room when the party was in full swing. He knew that he would hear about it later if he didn’t show his face at the party so he figured he’d go downstairs for a few minutes. Once he made his way down there he spotting Magnus with some of his friends. He looked busy so he didn’t approach them but soon Magnus noticed him and got up.  
“Alexander, it’s nice to see you.” Alec nodded and sat back down on the steps after realizing he didn’t have any other option. Magnus took a seat next him and Alec smiled.  
“Your… makeup looks nice.” Alec said, noticing the bold gold line under his eye.  
“I thought it’d be nice for the occasion.” As much as he wouldn’t admit, Alec always noticed Magnus’ wardrobe. He had a countless number of tight T-shirts with obscure references paired with designer jeans and shoes. He occasionally put a leather jacket or blazer on when it was cold. Alec was always impressed with how Magnus presented himself.  
“Thank you. You don’t look too bad yourself.” Alec only had on a black T-shirt and jeans but he appreciated the compliment. They saw Clary and Jace coming down the stairs behind them and parted so they could pass. Jace locked eyes with Alec quickly and smirked, causing Alec to roll his eyes.   
“Those straight men are all the same. I hope Clary knows what she’s getting into.” Magnus commented. Alec’s eyes shifted uncomfortably but he ignored the comment.  
“Isabelle really went all out.” He said, changing the subject. Magnus laughed.  
“I wouldn’t expect anything less.” Magnus looked back at Alec and chuckled lightly. “It looks like I’ve literally rubbed off on you.”   
Alec looked confused but Magnus clarified that some glitter from his hair had made its way to Alec’s lip. “May I?” Magnus asked. Alec nodded and Magnus brought his thumb to his lip, gently wiping it away. Alec’s breath became heavy as he glanced between Magnus and his hand. His train of thought was broken by some snickering he heard next to him. Two of his teammates were looking at him but turned away when he looked up, talking and gesturing amongst themselves. Alec quickly backed up and wiped his mouth off, refusing to meet Magnus’ gaze. A moment later Izzy ran by but stopped when she saw the two of them.  
“Come on, guys! Up for some truth or dare?” She grabbed Alec’s hand and dragged him behind her, Magnus following with a smirk.  
…  
They all sat down around a coffee table, a few of them landing spots on the couch and the rest on the floor. Izzy initiated the game by getting everyone’s attention. “Since I’m the birthday girl, I get to go first!” She exclaimed. “Magnus, truth or dare?”   
“Truth.” He said without a second thought. Izzy thought for a moment before shouting. “Weirdest place you’ve ever had sex?”  
Magnus had to think for a moment before answering. “Restaurant bathroom, her parents were still at their table.” Shouts of surprise and disgust arose from everyone. Alec looked at him confused but shook it off.  
“Jace, truth or dare?” Jace smirked and responded, “Dare.”   
“Okay, send a nude to the last person you texted.” Jace accepted and went to his messages. When he saw who it was, he looked over at Clary. “No. No way!”  
She protested. Despite this she received a picture a moment later containing Jace’s abs and a hardon. She looked away quickly but thought to herself that it could be worse.   
“You’re welcome, Clary.” He said. She shoved him in response but he laughed and continued. “Simon, truth or dare?”  
“Yeah, I’m gonna go with truth.” He said, causing a few people to chuckle. “Would you ever bone Clary?”  
“Jace, oh my god!” She exclaimed. Simon stammered for a minute and glanced down to see Izzy was staring at him.   
“Yes.” He ultimately decided not to lie. Izzy looked disappointed and glanced over at Clary, not really able to distinguish how she felt about that.   
The game went on for a few more turns and Alec got very bored, glancing at his phone for entertainment. He was surprised when he heard his name called. One of his friends from school had picked him.  
“Um… truth, I guess.”  
“Are you queer?” He asked, jabbing the guy beside him in the ribs, the two of them wearing shit-eating-grins. Almost everyone looked saddened or embarrassed, Izzy being especially worried for her brother.  
“No, I’m not.” He said, and returned to his phone. Magnus looked down at the floor and took a sip of his drink, not expecting that answer. At the end of the game, no one except for Jace had a smile on their face.  
…  
Everyone else left after the game and Clary and Jace were left sitting there. Clary looked over at Jace who seemed completely relaxed.  
“I can’t believe you sent me a picture of your junk.” She said, seeming only a bit upset.  
“I can’t believe you still haven’t deleted it.” Clary scoffed and Jace laughed as she whipped out her phone and deleted the message. “If that’s still in my cloud somehow, you’re dead.”  
Jace laughed and nodded. “Sure I am. Anyway, you know the rules; tit for tat.”  
“Excuse me?” Clary’s face looked as if she might kill him.  
“I showed you mine; you show me yours.” Clary’s face was in utter disbelief. She could not believe what she was hearing. Did Jace actually have the audacity to ask her for nudes?  
“That is not happening!” She protested.  
“Don’t be such a prude, Clary. What do you have to hide?” Jace continued nonchalantly.  
“I have plenty to hide! And the fact that-”  
“Clary, relax. I’m only joking.” Clary stopped in her tracks and realized that at some point she should’ve seen that coming.  
“Oh. I knew that.” She tried to shrug it off but knew that she had made it incredibly awkward. Jace only laughed and Clary soon followed, grateful he didn’t seize the opportunity to tease her about it.  
“You should be so lucky.” She added hastily, Jace smiling wide in return.  
“I’m going to have the worst hangover tomorrow.” She commented, holding her head in her hand to demonstrate.  
“Are you actually drunk right now?” Jace asked, genuinely intrigued. “I couldn’t tell.”  
Clary shrugged.   
“Well don’t worry, Izzy and I have come up with a pretty good hangover cure, so I’ll come over and help.”  
“You’re coming over?” She asked, surprised.  
“Of course. We’re hanging out, aren’t we?” Clary looked pleased but didn’t say anything.  
…  
Magnus eventually found Alec in his room upstairs. He stood in the entrance and knocked on the doorframe, alerting Alec of his presence.  
“May I come in?” Alec gestured but didn’t say anything, remaining still in his seat on the bed. Magnus joined him and awkwardly set his hands on his thighs. He left some room between them in case Alec felt awkward.  
“That was… ridiculous. Honestly sometimes it surprises me I go to school with those boys.” Magnus tried to lighten the mood.  
“Yeah, they can be real dicks.” Alec responded. Magnus laughed at the levity of the comment and Alec offered a chuckle. He looked down at the floor, then back at Magnus, trying to find the words for what he wanted to convey. Unable to come up with anything, he took Mangus’ hand and squeezed it tightly. He wasn’t sure what he meant by it, but it felt right.  
“I’ll see you Monday.” He said, standing up and expecting Magnus to follow. He did. Magnus looked at him expectantly. Alec wrapped his arms around Magnus, quickly embracing him.  
“Bye.” Magnus exited the hug with a playful smile on his face, glad things didn’t go as horribly as he expected them to. “Goodbye, Alexander.”  
Alec watched him as he walked out, sure that he would be just as speechless when the weekend was over.  
...  
Simon examined the wreckage left in the living room and felt bad for whoever would be coming to pick up after the party. He picked up the solo cup sitting next to him and threw it in the first trash can he found, hoping that he was helping. Before he walked home, he looked around for Isabelle. He finally found her sitting in one of the chairs by the pool.  
"Hey, Izzy."  
"Hey, Simon!" She hopped up excitedly. There had been minimal time during their separation but they were as excited as ever to see each other.  
"Just wanted to let you know I'm leaving." He said, awkwardly sticking his hand on his pockets.  
"So soon?" She questioned. He looked around to see that there was no one else there.  
"Uh- yeah."  
"Do you want a ride?" She asked. He had seen how much she had to drink and didn’t even consider it.  
"No thanks, I'll just walk. Don't worry, I have pepper spray in my wallet." He had meant it as a reassurance but realized how lame it sounded.  
"Seriously?" She asked, a smile dancing on her lips. He nodded and retrieved his wallet, handing it to her so she could see. She turned it over in her hand, surprised.  
"Do you have your phone?" Instinctively, he nodded and handed it to her. She held the wallet and phone in her hand before quickly stuffing them in her bra.  
"Wait, why-" Before he could say another word he realized he was being pushed backward- by Isabelle- and was headed straight for the pool. Before he could protest he felt himself hit the water, it being warmer than he expected. He quickly swam to the surface, searching for his next breath. When he pushed the hair out of his eyes he caught a glimpse of Isabelle. She had set his possessions on the table on was unzipping her dress, letting the red material fall to the ground to reveal her lace bra and panties.   
He closed his mouth when he realized his jaw had dropped and watched in silence as Izzy jumped into the pool beside him. Simon realized after a minute that he was staring and quickly diverted his eyes, earning a giggle from Izzy.  
“What Simon, afraid of the water?”  
“Just… unexpected, that’s all.” He was still avoiding eye contact.   
“Oh, come on, you thought I’d just let you go?” She said, getting closer and closer. Simon found a ledge nearby and sat, taking his shoes off and setting them on the side of the pool.  
“You’re lucky those weren’t expensive.” He remarked, ignoring her question.  
“I’d never let designer shoes go to waste.” They both smiled and Simon peeled his T-shirt off, immersing himself back in the pool.  
“If you didn’t want me to leave you could’ve said something.”  
“Yeah… but this is more fun.” Isabelle said, pushing a piece of his hair out of his eye. He smiled nervously and tried to slow his breath down as she got closer and closer, her arms snaking around his neck. When her face came dangerously close to his he awkwardly escaped her embrace and moved away.  
“I should probably get going.” Izzy nodded and tried to hide how rejected she felt. They both got out of the pool and retrieved towels, proceeding to dry themselves off. Izzy wrapped it around herself and watched as Simon gathered his things.   
“Here.” She said, handing him a T-shirt and gym shorts that he could only guess were Jace’s. He smiled and accepted, quickly dressing and putting his shoes back on.  
“Will I see you tomorrow?” He asked as Izzy was ushering him away. She smiled and a certain playfulness returned to her eyes. He would do anything to make her smile.  
“Of course.”


	3. cross your fingers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She was kissing him. He leaned in hesitantly, trying not to seem too eager. Her lips were unbelievably soft like nothing Simon had ever felt. Kissing Isabelle was like learning to fly, he’d never be the same again. Not even seconds later, Izzy pulled away smiling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this chapter took so long to post, i hope you enjoy it ♡ thanks so much to @jeanmoneau on tumblr for beta-ing this chapter :) you can also find me @malirah on tumblr

Simon didn’t think he’d survive the play. He’d been to what felt like hundreds of rehearsals, saying the same lines over and over, conveying his undying love for Isabelle before being heartlessly slaughtered.   
Isabelle enjoyed it more by the day. She started showing up earlier and staying later, her acting skills receiving awes from the entirety of the club. They all wondered whether Camille would really be able to take back her spot as the lead. Izzy fit in quite well.  
The club could all agree that Simon and Isabelle were magic. This was turning out to be one of the best plays the school had ever put on. Clary continued to tease Simon about his on-set romance and he continued to tell her that he and Isabelle were just friends. He couldn’t say he hadn’t thought about it but he knew Isabelle could never see him in that light, and even if she did she would soon realize her mistake.

When the night of the play finally arrived Simon could barely tear his gaze away from himself in the mirror. He had put translucent powder on his face to make himself seem paler and stuck fake fangs on his canines. He pulled uneasily at his collar, lost in thought. He had performed in plenty of plays but never as the lead. Anything could go wrong tonight, he had had so much trouble learning his lines that he suddenly grew apprehensive that they’d escape his mind at the last possible second. Shaking it off, he left and went to Izzy’s dressing room.   
Izzy beamed when he walked in and stood up, looking stunning in a cream colored period dress. It flowed around her as she stood up to greet him.  
“Tonight’s the night,” she exclaimed with a smile. Simon nervously nodded. “I guess so.”  
“Hey,” she said, getting his attention, as if he wasn’t already focused on her. She grabbed him by the shoulders in a dramatic fashion. “You are ready for this. We’re going to do great.”  
She brought him in for a quick hug and exited the dressing room, prompting him to follow.   
The space backstage was minimal, but they waited in the wing for their cue and entered the stage as directed.  
No part of the performance particularly stuck out to Simon as he easily delivered his lines just like he had every other time. But when it came to the garden scene, Isabelle decided to throw a wrench in his whole routine.  
They both leaned over a prop gate, side by side, looking up at the so called moon. Simon trained his eyes on a spotlight shining away from him.  
“I remember when you came here. It was a night like this,” Izzy recited.  
“So you are thinking of it? Are you glad I came?” Simon asked, looking to Isabelle, waiting for the next line.  
“Delighted.” Simon almost uttered his next line but was interrupted by Izzy’s lips meeting his ever so gently. His head swam as he tried to remember anything. Who he was, what they were doing, _anything._ All he could think of was Isabelle. She was _kissing him._ He leaned in hesitantly, trying not to seem too eager. Her lips were unbelievably soft like nothing Simon had ever felt. Kissing Isabelle was like learning to fly, he’d never be the same again. Not even seconds later, Izzy pulled away smiling. Reality suddenly hit Simon and he was able to continue after Isabelle said her next line.

“You seem like you’re in love. Is there an affair of the heart going on,” she recited playfully. Simon took a short pause before his answer.  
“I shall never love anyone except for you.”  
The following applause rattled them both as they left the stage.  
After the play, Izzy only talked about how much fun it all was while Simon did his best to get the kiss out of his head.

* * *

“Wow. That was...”  
“Steamy?” Jace asked, narrowing his eyes at her.  
“I was going to say awkward, but sure,” Clary joked. “I’m impressed with Simon, though. This was one of his best performances yet.”  
“Do you come to all of these?” Jace asked.  
“Of course! Simon is my best friend.”  
“Oh yeah, I keep forgetting,” Jace said, standing up and walking to the aisle. “I think I’m giving him a run for his money lately.”  
“Yeah, right,” Clary said, following suit.   
“Would a steak dinner change your mind?” Jace asked, followed by a laugh from Clary. “I’m serious! I know a really nice place. We should go.” Clary stared at him for another minute, trying to figure out if he was joking.  
“Fine,” she finally said. “But you’re paying.”  
Jace chuckled and followed her to the car.   
When they arrived at the restaurant Jace gave his name to the hostess and was seated; though Clary couldn’t remember him calling ahead. Clary was especially suspicious when she received her food without ordering.  
“Okay, did you plan this or something? This is getting weird,” she said, laughing.  
“Fine. I’ll come clean. My dad is the head chef here, so I get special treatment,” he said, the playful sparkle in his eyes never leaving.  
“I knew it! You couldn’t pull this off yourself.”  
“I find that offensive! I could’ve managed, it’s just easier this way.”   
“Whatever. At least I’m getting free food,” she said, smirking and taking a bite.   
“You only keep me around for eye candy anyway,” Jace said, earning an offended look from Clary.   
“Excuse me! If anyone is the eye candy here, it’s me.”  
“Are you saying you want to be used?” Clary was dumbfounded for a moment, no sound escaping her. She swallowed and looked down, embarrassing them both.  
“I didn’t mean like-”  
“It’s fine,” Clary said. “I like seeing you sweat.”   
She added the comment hastily, reaping the reward she anticipated. The glint in Jace’s eyes returned as he thought of a retort. She wasn’t sure she cared anymore, as long as he kept looking like this. Maybe he was the eye candy.

* * *

 

Alec stared at the few messages between him and Magnus. 

_ Hi, it’s Magnus _

_ Hi _

_ I’ll pick you up after practice? _

_ Sounds good _

_ Where are you? _

_ Nevermind, I see you _

He wasn’t sure what was bothering him so much. The party had been weird for both of them, surely Magnus had noticed. He had said something about straight people but then boasted about his girlfriend, what was he trying to say? And Alec could tell he acted strange around him, different than how he acted around Isabelle. What was he missing? Sighing in frustration, he opened his computer and opened facebook. He had added Magnus as a friend last week so he had full access to his account.

First he went through Magnus’ recent posts. A lot of them were just selfies but once he hit February 2016 he noticed someone showing up in all of his pictures. He went to her profile and realized it was someone named Camille, but he couldn’t see her pictures and her profile picture was only her from a distance. Disappointed, he returned to Magnus’ profile and looked through the rest of the pictures. Him and Camille seemed close. In every picture their faces were close together, as if they were sharing a joke no one else got. Alec finally found a picture from December 2015 of the two of them kissing. The caption simply read, ‘ _ Under the mistletoe!’  _ Before December, though, Camille was nowhere to be found. 

The pictures returned to selfies of Magnus near sites he thought were cool. Alec was about to give up when he saw a picture of Magnus with a boy he didn’t recognize. When he hovered over the picture it read  _ Axel  _ but Alec didn’t bother clicking on it. The two seemed really close and Alec couldn’t place how he felt about it. As he’d been expecting, he found a picture of them kissing. It seemed to be taken unexpectedly, and the accompanying picture was Magnus and Axel looking scandalized. Alec sighed and closed his laptop. 

So it was true, Magnus wasn’t straight. How did he feel about that? Why did he even care? Before he could think about it longer, he heard his phone buzz. 

_ Goodnight Alec. I’ll see you tomorrow :) _

It was from Magnus. Alec couldn’t help the smile that spread over his face. There was so little of Magnus that belonged to him since he was such an open person but Alec was glad he got this, it made him happy. 

_ Gnight _

Was all he replied.

* * *

 

“Your skills are getting better,” Izzy declared with a smile.

“Really?” Simon said, moving the viola from its chin rest. 

“Yes. I can almost listen without using this bow to stab my ears,” she joked, taking the bow out of his hands, then laughed. “Kidding! With my direction, you can’t fail.”  
“I believe you. That was one of the best plays we’ve put on.”

Izzy laughed. “Surely the other plays have gone well.”

“I guess. Camille always gets the lead spot but I think you’ve given her a run for her money,” Simon chuckled, not thinking much of the comment, but Isabelle looked surprised.

“Is she no good?”

“She’s okay. I don’t see what the big deal is. Especially after dating her.”    
“ _ What? _ ” Izzy said, trying and failing to hide her disbelief. 

“It was just, like, a month. Not a big deal,” he said, but the damage was done.

“Nice try, we are talking about this! Tell me about her,” Izzy looked smug, waiting for him to respond. 

“I don’t know. She was really… self-involved.” Simon and Izzy fell silent for a moment, neither sure where the conversation was going. 

“You didn’t like her much?” Isabelle asked, her tone changing. Simon shrugged. “I don’t know. At the time, I guess.”

“But not anymore?” Izzy asked, her voice suddenly low. Simon simply shook his head, not breaking eye contact. Izzy looked down suddenly and shook her head. 

“Alright, then,” she picked up her instrument and began playing again. Simon only sat still, apparently lost in thought.   
“Come on,” she urged. Simon picked up his viola and played with her, messing up frequently because his eyes kept drifting from his book. 

* * *

Clary smiled gratefully at the long awaited final bell. She normally dreaded that noise but at 2:15 each afternoon, she happily listened.

She went to her locker to put a few of her books away and retrieved her camera, spotting Jace down the hall. She smiled and began to walk towards him when she saw an unfamiliar brunette strike up a conversation. Clary walked back towards her locker and pretended not to watch them. The girl talked to Jace for a few minutes and he seemed only slightly interested. She then kissed him on the cheek and turned away, smiling. Clary then walked up to Jace as he got his lacrosse equipment.   
She tried to sound as casual as possible when she went up to him. “Hey, stud. Who was that? Your girlfriend?”

“No,” Jace said with a laugh. “Definitely not.”  
“Someone should tell her that,” Clary said, surprised. 

“She knows. She’s just in denial.” 

“A little cocky aren’t we? Are you going to ask her out,” she asked.

“Nope. I don’t  _ do  _ dating. Girls get emotional and insecure and I don’t have time for it.” 

“Ah. A time-efficient misogynist. I should’ve known,” she said sarcastically. 

“I’m not a misogynist, I’m realistic. You’ll see soon enough.” Not sure what he meant, she rolled her eyes.   
“Whatever. I’m going to the gas station, do you want anything?”

“Nah, I’m good. See you at practice.”  
“See you,” she said, smiling despite insulting him seconds earlier. She watched as he headed towards the locker room and sighed, processing their conversation. 

A little bit later, she ran to the field with her camera and scanned the players. They were all drenched with sweat and hunched over, awaiting a new instruction from their coach. She knew she was late. Despite the lost time, she spotted Jace’s number and took a few pictures. While she did, she saw Alec and decided to take some of him, surely he’d appreciate them. When practice was disbanded she saw Alec walk up to Magnus and decided to take some pictures capturing the unmistakeable smiles the two shared.

* * *

Alec ran over to the bench after the long awaited whistle and tore his helmet off, his black curls spilling out. His breath was heavy but he smiled at the sensation in his chest. Nothing compared to the cold burning after a good practice. He knew it didn’t make sense but he didn’t care as he relished it. Still stupidly smiling, he saw Magnus walk over in an unusually loose tank top, making Alec look twice.

“That was a great practice. At least I think so, I don’t know much about the sport,” Magnus said. 

Alec laughed and smiled, retrieving his water bottle. “Thanks. So you ready for tutoring tonight?” 

“Yes, I am. Although I am a bit worried, according to your guidance counselor I haven’t really been helping you all that much.” His expression stayed neutral but Alec could tell it bothered him.   
“Don’t listen to her, I just need some time to catch up. I’m getting it,” he said, reassuring himself and Magnus. Magnus reached out and squeezed his arm.

“I know you are.” Alec lost his focus again when Magnus smiled. He hastily leaned in for a quick hug, just needing the contact. He laughed nervously afterward, thinking that might’ve been weird. 

“I’m glad you appreciate my help,” Magnus said, not missing a beat.

Alec laughed. “I definitely can’t be put on probation now. Just a few more games and we-” He was immediately interrupted when Clary walked up, camera in her hand. 

“Hello, Clary,” Magnus said, greeting her with a smile. Alec rolled his eyes.

“Hey. Sorry to interrupt but I was taking some pictures and I thought you’d like to see them.” She moved the camera so the two could look at it and saw pictures of their interaction. As she scrolled through they could see them exchanging smiles, Magnus touching Alec’s arm, and their brief hug. Alec looked immediately uncomfortable. 

“Why would you take those?” He demanded, surprising Clary. 

“I don’t know, I thought you guys looked cute and-”

“Please delete them,” Alec said, looking serious.

“Okay, you got it,” Clary said, looking offended. Without another word Alec left, picking up his things and storming away.   
“The pictures were lovely, Clary,” Magnus said before following him. 

* * *

“Are you going to tell me why you needed a ride over here or do I have to ask?” Clary said, smirking.

“Izzy and I are just hanging out,” Simon said, sure the relationship questions from Clary would never end.   
“At noon on a Saturday? Sure,” She said, obviously mocking him. 

“You’re just jealous because you think I’m becoming better friends with Izzy,” Simon said. Clary gasped, mocking shock. “No one could ever take my place! You take that back!”

“Whatever,” Simon said. 

“Anyway, I know you like her as more than a friend,” Clary said, almost under her breath. 

“And we’re here!” Simon said, ignoring the comment and getting out of the car. He walked towards the house leaving Clary in the car, chuckling. 

The front door opened when Isabelle saw him and she ran out, giving him an unnecessary hug. “Simon!” She shouted. After she let go Simon looked back towards the car. Clary simply shook her head and drove away, leaving the two to themselves. 

“I’m so glad you’re here! I made breakfast,” she said, looking as beautiful as ever in a sweater and denim shorts. 

“It’s noon,” Simon reminded her. 

“Okay… Then it’s brunch!” Simon just laughed and followed her into the kitchen to see what she had prepared. On the expansive counter sat waffles, bacon, hash browns, and orange juice, with everything to accompany the food like powdered sugar (already strung everywhere), syrup, and fruit. 

“Wow, this is… quite the spread,” he said, looking over it and suddenly realizing how hungry he was. “Careful, most of Izzy’s cooking is lethal,” Jace said, walking into the room and grabbing an apple. 

“Hey!” Izzy said, hitting him on the arm. 

“What’re you doing here?” Jace asked.   
“Clary just dropped me off, Simon said, dodging the question. Couldn’t he just hang out with Isabelle?

“Clary? Why didn’t she come over?” Jace asked, earning strange looks from Isabelle and Simon.   
“Because that’d be weird? I don’t know,” Simon said, wanting the conversation to be over. He and Isabelle made their plates, ending the interaction.

Jace walked back to his room and pulled out his phone, texting Clary. 

_ Why didn’t you come over? _

A minute later, she responded. 

_ Bc that’d be weird?? I wasn’t invited lol _

Jace laughed at himself, realizing it was a little silly. 

_ Idk. You should’ve _

Her answer surprised him. 

_ It’s not like we’re dating _

What did she mean? 

_ Whatever, just come over lol _

Hopefully that ended it. 

* * *

Alec looked over at Magnus for at least the hundredth time since they sat down. He couldn’t bring himself to focus on numbers and graphs when he was dying to ask Magnus something.

“Is something wrong, Alexander?” Magnus asked, apparently sensing his uneasiness. 

“Um- no,” he said. Magnus waited for him to continue and when he didn’t he looked back down. “Well, not exactly.”

That got Magnus’ attention again. He looked back up to Alec, confused. “What is it?”

“Remember at Izzy’s party when you mentioned your… girlfriend?” Alec asked, barely getting it out.

“I don’t have a girlfriend anymore if that’s what you’re asking.”

“It’s not,” Alec said. “I just- Do you only date girls?” 

It hadn’t exactly come out the way he’d hoped, but at least he’d finally asked. 

“No. I date boys and girls.” Magnus responded. 

“Oh.” Alec said, looking back down. He had expected that answer to feel more satisfying. Magnus stayed silent. 

“So, you date boys? Same as girls?” Alec asked.

“Same as girls,” Magnus said. Then developed an inquisitive look. “Alec, have you ever, dated anybody?”

Alec seemed startled at the question. “Um… no.” He was reluctant to answer, he was aware how lame it sounded. It’s not that there was a shortage of people interested. Being tall, handsome, and a lacrosse player got him a lot of attention. The problem was girls were immediately turned off by his rudeness and disinterest in them. When Izzy had asked him what his problem was, he simply said that all the girls he knew were annoying. 

“You sound a bit curious,” Magnus remarked. “Is there anything else you’d like to ask me?”  
Alec looked back up, his eyes meeting Magnus’ with fervor. Magnus could swear he saw all the emotion lying under the surface, just swimming in his irises. He was sure this part of Alec was something only he’d seen and he lavished in it, having a part of Alec all to himself. 

“Did you want to ask me if I’d date  _ you? _ ” The silence was heavy and Alec couldn’t bring himself to say anything. A part of him wanted to deny it,  _ Of course not! Why would I care? _ But a part of him wanted, needed to know, so he stayed silent. 

“Because it would make me very happy,” Magnus said, hoping he hadn’t made Alec uncomfortable. He knew Alec’s eyes were expressing emotions Alec couldn’t understand right now so he wanted to give him space to decipher how he felt about the comment.   
“Oh.” Was all that he said. He seemed to slowly realize how close to Magnus he was and pulled away, dragging his eyes back down. Magnus also returned his gaze to the sheet of paper and spoke, “Do you know how to graph this?”


End file.
